


Lady's Choice

by Merit



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works
Genre: F/M, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Trope Bingo Round 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-14
Updated: 2014-01-14
Packaged: 2018-01-08 17:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1135383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merit/pseuds/Merit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took a snow storm in enemy territory for Kel and Dom to have the time to talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lady's Choice

Kel had learned long ago that she would always be judged differently because of her sex. Some men needed a good bashing before they started to see her as the warrior and knight she knew she was. Some men would never accept her as Lady Knight. 

And of course some men accepted her for who she was without a fight. Sometimes they could be the most annoying. Kel sighed and stared at Dom. “We really shouldn’t do this.”

Dom stared at her for several seconds. “Kel. We’re stranded in enemy territory. It is freezing and we’re both shivering like mad.”

“Exactly. Someone needs to stand watch,” Kel said, brightening at the idea.

Dom took a deep breath, which he quickly regretted as the cold air rattled down his throat. He then jerked his head in the direction to the entrance of the cave they and their horses were huddling in. The snow storm continued to howl and only the direction of the wind kept most of the snow from reaching them.

“No one is out there. And if they were out there they would quickly freeze to death,” Dom said firmly.

It was a reasonable idea, Kel thought glumly. And maybe she wouldn’t have protested so much, but. Even rubbing his fingers together and blowing futilely at them, Dom was quite handsome.

There was a small possibility that Kel wasn’t arguing so much to please the old conservatives at court but to protect herself. Kel was a knight and Dom was forbidden to marry while he served with the King’s Own. It would be foolish to consider romance.

Especially since usually they barely had more than a few minutes together. Running a refugee fort, keeping the Scanrans at bay and a thousand other duties kept both of them busy.

But, on occasion, Kel had considered it. _It_ would happen in the future, when Kel was perhaps the training master for the pages and Dom had become a commander. Kel would be very busy with her charges and Dom would only be intermittently at court. But at a ball or some other social event that they were required to attend but find eternally frustrating, they would slip away together. It would be entirely innocent at first. They would catch up in her quarters (they were bigger now she the training master, so more suitable Kel reasoned) drink mulled cider and exchange battle stories.

So maybe she had considered it in detail, Kel grimaced as she edged closer to Dom. “Fine. I don’t want you to get frostbite.”

“Oh the Lady Knight is immune?” Dom said, smiling as he pulled back a blanket and Kel sank into the bedroll. It was welcome warmth.

“Of course! I thought you knew!” Kel laughed. “I did spend a few winters at Mindelan before I left for the Yamani Islands.”

“How were their winters?” Dom asked.

“Quiet,” Kel said, “A bit like here. The pirates retreated to their rocky islands, far enough out from the Islands proper that the Imperial navy hardly ever bothered them. Court was a different story though. My parents attended functions nearly every single night.”

“It wouldn’t get as cold there,” Dom said.

“Not by the coast,” Kel admitted, stretching a bit to work out a kink in her back. “But inland it is quite mountainous and there can be snow storms like this. I only went once inland during winter though. My parents were always occupied otherwise. In the summer huge parties would head to the mountains and dedicate poetry to the gods.”

“I can only imagine the Lord Commander’s face,” Dom said, nearly cackling.

Kel grinned back. “I’ve heard some of the most beautiful poetry in the Yamani Islands but it was common for young lords to submit love poems. Most were awful!”

“My dear Meathead cousin would have fit right in,” Dom said.

“He would have. Maybe he and Yuki will go over one day,” Kel said. “It must be tough for her, sometimes, so far away from home.”

“Maybe when their children are older,” Dom said. “And when was the last time you were in Mindelan?” 

Kel blinked, “Well, not since - ”

“For pleasure, not for your duty,” Dom interrupted.

“A while,” Kel admitted. “And you? The King’s Own rarely gets extended leave. Most of the time you just decamp to Corus for a few weeks.”

“Masbolle needs the money I can send back,” Dom said. “Hopefully my nephews will have the choice to become a knight.”

“And nieces?” Kel said, after a pause, ready to fill the silence.

“And nieces,” Dom said, readily agreeing. “It’ll probably happen sooner than I think. They seem to growing into giants.”

Kel hummed her agreement, thinking of how quickly Tobe was growing once he was getting regularly fed and didn’t have to worry about the threat of being beaten. Just last week she had to order a third set of clothes for him in the last year. Tobe had felt guilty and protested vehemently but in the end he had reluctantly worn the clothes. Later Kel had found him staring at his new clothes with pride, touching the tough grey and blue fabric. Kel had ordered the clothes in her colours. He had gone to bed early that night, probably worn out from the conflicting emotions.

“But we just get older,” Dom continued.

“We’re not yet thirty,” Kel said bemusedly.

“Some of us are closer to our dotage, young one,” Dom said, peering down his long nose. Kel couldn’t help but giggle, reminded of Neal and the motion drew her closer to him, their knees knocking against other. Kel took a deep breath. Dom smiled and his eyes were very blue.

“I think I have a few years left in me,” Kel said slowly.

“As do I despite all my talk about entering my dotage. Unless my lord Raoul decides to retire me,” Dom said.

“You’re too good for that,” Kel said. “He would be fool if he didn’t see that you’re commander worthy.” She stopped then, sure she had gone too far.

Dom stared at her for several seconds. “From you, calling him a ‘fool’, is almost a curse.”

She fidgeted, looking away. “I didn’t mean – ”

“I know what you meant,” Dom said quickly, “Thank you. It was very kind of you.”

She was blushing, she knew it.

“And you, Lady Knight,” Dom said softly, “You have a grand future ahead of you. You might not get the most prestigious jobs but you will get the most difficult and do the best.”

Kel was sure her blush could now melt a path back to Hope.

“That is very kind of you,” she finally said. “Um. Too. As well.”

Dom leaned forward slowly pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Goodnight Lady Knight. May you sleep soundly.” He closed his eyes and pretty soon was gently snoring. He was probably faking, but it let Kel think.

Her considerations hadn’t envisioned a snowed in cave and the two of sharing a bedroll. They had been carefully constructed fantasies that Kel wouldn’t have admitted to her closest friends. Everyone had them.

It was just a kiss on the forehead, she reasoned.

But it was a kiss. Kel smiled and closed her eyes.

It was enough for now.


End file.
